Fishing is a popular sport for many people. Frequently, people who catch fish (also known as “fishermen,” used herein to refer collectively to women who fish as well) desire to preserve fish alive and healthy until they have finished fishing, for example, upon completion of a fishing expedition or competition. Conventionally, once fish are caught, they are preserved for a period of time in a “live well,” which is similar to an aquarium, but is filled with water drawn from the area, such as a lake or river, from which such fish was caught.
A live well is effective for keeping fish alive and healthy for a period of time longer than would be possible if a fish were, for example, laid out on the deck of a boat without water. However, the period of time that a fish may remain alive in a live well is limited, and often results in such fish not surviving until the end of a fishing expedition. The reason fish do not fare well in a live well is two-fold. First, the temperature of water in a live well is often warmer than the temperature of water from which fish are caught, potentially creating thermal shock to a fish. Since fish are cold-blooded, they cannot long withstand such thermal shock or survive in such elevated temperatures. A second reason that fish often do not survive in live wells is that the water in the live well is not adequately aerated. Thus, fish cannot obtain sufficient oxygen needed to sustain life. Thus, the combination of sudden and sustained heat together with a lack of oxygen substantially shorten the life and diminish the health of a fish in a live well.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and associated method for preserving fish alive and healthy for a longer period of time after they are caught than what is currently possible using conventional technology.